Koh Pei Li’s favourite subject in school was art. “I loved drawing, painting, playing with dough, sewing clothes for my dolls, and collecting papers,” she recalls, chuckling. “But people told me I couldn’t make a living as an artist. So, I ended up studying triple sciences, graduated with a degree in chemistry, and sold chemicals for an MNC.”
In 2014, while preparing for her wedding, she made an ang bao box from paper and cardboard, and decorated it with flowers. This passion project led to a new career as a multimedia artist and the founding of her practice PeiPer in 2022.
Koh’s outsized botanical paper installations aren’t just stunning to look at—you might have spotted them at Gardens by the Bay, Cavenagh Bridge, and Ion Orchard—they also convey a message of love, dreams, and hope, the same values that fuel her creative journey.
The 4.5-m-tall ‘Blooming Windmill’ installation she created for Paragon is one such example. It was part of the mall’s initiative in May to support mental health programmes and research at Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre, whose findings contribute to the development of non-drug interventions. Having her work help others strengthen their mental resilience makes Koh happy.
To create the installation’s seven different species of blooms—cornflower, white and yellow daffodil, lavender, daisy, echinacea, pink and blue forget-me-not, and baby’s breath—Koh spent months holed up in her workshop, experimenting with paper miniature prototypes before scaling up with aluminum and other materials. Beyond looking good, she determined they had to withstand Singapore’s challenging weather.
While love is central to Koh’s creative philosophy, it can be challenging to sustain as a solo artist. In fact, just two days before this interview, she had to overcome several tears in the workshop.
“There are times when the process can be extremely painful, such as when the flower doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. Other days, I would spend up to 10 hours standing in dusty, dirty conditions. It’s at this point that I start asking myself, why am I going through all this?” she lets on.
“Even so, I also enjoy overcoming challenges, learning about and working with new mediums, and combining them. When people tell me my installation makes them happy, I know all those late nights and long days were worth it. Then I feel my job is done.”
As the co-founder of PeiPer Arts School, Koh also helps to nurture the nation’s younger artists. Launched in 2022 with her husband Symond Lim, its craft-based curriculum equips kids between the ages of four and 12 with skills, such as imagination, critical thinking, and self-expression.
The classes are taught in Mandarin because it is a beautiful language, says Koh, who spoke Mandarin as a child; her father is a carpenter and her mother, a seamstress. It began as a bonding experience for the couple’s daughters—Brooklyn and Sierra, now nine and seven respectively—during Covid-19, when she created craft kits for them. “After that, I started receiving requests from their classmates for the kits, which I made and sent along with instructional videos.”
Koh “taught” her first class in December 2020 (in her living room!) for five students, including Brooklyn and Sierra. These days, at PeiPer Arts School—it moved from Phoenix Park to New Bahru in 2024—150 students attend classes every week.
“I’m always amazed by how curious their little minds are. Some days, they draw a pattern differently. It is also always a pleasure to hear about their perspectives and ideas. These experiences are very precious to me.”
Our conversation returns to flowers, a passion Koh inherited from her mother, whom she affectionately calls “green fingers”. Which is her favourite? “The sandpaper vine with purple flowers draping beautifully from bus stops and sheltered walkways.” Its name reflects the rough, sandpaper-like texture of its leaves.
“I identify with it because it’s so unassuming. Its beauty becomes apparent when people get close to it. That’s how I hope others will perceive my art.”
Photography Mun Kong
Art direction Ed Harland
Hair Jenny Lee, using Organethic Pure Care
Makeup Rina Sim, using Chanel Beauty
Photography assistant RJ Teo
